About Mandi

Currently I am a graduate student in developmental psychology at the University of Kansas. I take classes and have so many rich resources at my fingertips (usually literally); in this sense I work in an ideal environment. Academia has its costs, but I work to keep the excitment of doing research and learning about theories and evidence alive; I love trying to piece everything together like an extremely complex logic puzzle.

In my research I explore sexual behavior preferences, including their development, their evolutionary roots, how they are categorized and defined, and how they relate to other social traits. I employ evolutionary theory to examine these topics and have found Life History Theory to be exceptionally informative. I am currently exploring life history theory's relevance for alternative sexual behaviors.

In addition to my research, I am also a teacher. Though I thought I would be one of those professors who grudgingly teaches in order to do research, I actually enjoy teaching quite a bit. (I would love to work at an institution that prioritizes both engaged teaching and rich research.) More than teaching facts, I strive to foster engagement and scientific integrity; students will teach themselves the facts if they have these two things. In truth this website is another outlet for teaching. By sharing what I have learned I hope to encourage conversations, a method of mutual teaching and learning that I find quite appealing.